ECONOMICAL ADVERTISING FOR A MEN'S RETAILSTORE (RECLAIMED)

[Member of the Old Forums]

I own a men's retail store in one of Lahore's finest localities.


We specialize in men's wear with a strong accent on accessories such as belts, ties, tie-fobs, cravats and links etc.



We advertise in local newspapers on seasonal basis such as Eids, and sometimes when we have some exclusive product that we need to move fast.


The cost of advertising is going up very much. We are looking for some alternates.



Any help will be appreciated.

You have not mentioned the locality. I am presuming it would DHA or Liberty or some such area.

Ask you ad agency to talk to the Traffic Warden Department of the City Government in Lahore. It could be possible to arrange cooperative advertising with them, promoting traffic safety, rules of the road etc, with your name as the sponsor.

This can give you year round exposure. If the location of such signage is carefully selected, you will also get a targeted audience. 

Newspaper Hawkers run Leaflet Distribution Services. They insert printed leaflets supplied to them, and distribute them with their newspaper drops in the area you designate. Charges are nominal.

Get your agency to find out if Internet Advertising would fit your budget. Most of your customers would be computer literate and computer users.

It is possible to target Internet Advertising very sharply. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, other such sites are worth looking at.

Try distribution of single leaf, illustrated, double-side colour printed  A-4 leaflets outside mosques in your area after Friday prayers. This sounds primitive but helps immensely.  Leaflets Should NOT be tucked under wipers of car windscreens, and should not be shoved into drivers’ faces while they are waiting at signals. This is a great put-off. They should distributed by courteous people and given to people who accept them.

You must be having one or more bank accounts. Talk with someone who is a zonal/regional head and arrange to have your leaflets placed in well-designed dispensers at counters or in the reception area of branches in your locality.

Arrange to have your leaflets mailed with phone, cell-phone and credit card customers. It is possible to do a targeted mailing by qualifying, for example “send only to subscribers whose average monthly bill is more than PKR 2,500” to the phone companies and “send only to members who spend more than PKR 10,000 per month on average”. Offer some discount to recipients of such mailings, put a code on the leaflets supplied to each telecom or card issuer, so you can track where your customers are coming from.

Try couponing. This is one way you can do it very easily:
To every customer who makes a purchase above a certain slab (Say PKR 5,000/- this will depend on the average sale price of goods you sell) TWO nicely designed and produced discount coupons (Your agency will happy to do that for you). Offer identical discounts on both coupons (say 15%) if purchases are made within the next 90 days presenting that coupon. One coupon will for the customer, the second will be for someone whom that customer thinks should get quality products at a discount from a quality establishment.


There are many ways you can economically and affordably promote your business. Keep an eye on the ROI.

 

This topic was started by IdeaMines.

[Member of the Old Forums]

Those are very practical suggestions. Why didn't our agency advise us?

[Member of the Old Forums]

Did you ever SPECIFICALLY direct your agency NOT to concerntrate upon print media and advise you something else?

[Member of the Old Forums]

No.

[Member of the Old Forums]

*


Then hold them blameless.


The client is always the non-playing captain.


It is much like litigation. The more specific you are with your lawyer, the better chances that he will win the case for you. Ad agencies also work like that.

[Member of the Old Forums]

Briefs should be clear and specific,stating problems and issues unambiguously.



Your agency is a solutions provider, but they need clear directions from you to come up with the most appropriate solutions.

[Member of the Old Forums]

If there is a park close to his outlet he could arrange some OOH there.


He can also arrange for moving LCD display boards at restaurants and such like close to his outlet

[Member of the Old Forums]

Everything would come down to what amount of money is allocated for advertising.

[Member of the Old Forums]

^


It is not exactly a simple money game. Choices are involved.


Even with a single outlet at a defined commercial locality, the same amount of money can deliver quite varying results.

[Member of the Old Forums]

Yes. Target audience is what matters when working out Cost/Benefit equations.

[Member of the Old Forums]

The idea about placing leaflets in bank branches could be taken to the next higher level, affording his business a continuous exposure to a qualified, targeted audience.


Nicely designed, unusually shaped but functional pencil jars, digital desk time pieces etc. (these arent expensive) can be used as promo give-aways to bank branch managers and executives, the post office, police precinct houses, other places where there is public dealing and his potential customers are likely to visit.


I suggested a digital desk time-piece to one of my clients. The one we eventually decided upon was a rather elaborate one, with double sided display and multiple functions. It features time, calendar, barometer and thermometer on the face (facing the executive whose desk it adorns) with a large display on a 3 x 3 in. LCD panel. On the reverse (facing the visitor) it displays all the above features, PLUS a loop of 6 different promotional messages about my client's business. Depending on outlay, I am told this message loop can be even 60 messages!


The clock was in the form of a 4.5 in. very fine quality trasparent crystal plastic cube, with the display screen as the center-piece, supported by a small, lovely statue of a female, standing on a solid base. The total height of the time piece is 10 in., total width 4.5 in., and it is really very elegant and imposing, invites attention and comment. I have been told that some of those who have received it have been asked by their visitors if one could be arranged for them.


As I have said, it provides year-round advertising to a qualified, captive audience.

[Member of the Old Forums]

Mr. Jalal


Eid is just a few weeks away. If you have stocks to clear you can set up a special welcome Ramazan sale for a week before Ramazan or for the first week of Ramazan.


Offer good discounts. If you have the budget run a few spots on local TV Channels and FM Radio. Display vertical streamers advertising the welcome Ramazan week at major intersections leading to your area. Ask your agency to design you a double-sided leaflet for the event and have it distributed at mosques and at intersections and with morning newspapers if possible. Try to ensure that the leaflets are not forced upon people.


Also ask your agency to design you a discount coupon allowing discount on certain items if purchased before Eid Chand Raat.


I know there is little time left but this can be done and this will certainly increase traffic to your store.

[Member of the Old Forums]

There have been many good, workable, easy to implement recommendations so far.


I feel the member should also try to build his own client database. It is not difficult at all. He should have a computer at the checkout counter and a good, courteous, computer-literate person operating that computer.


Keep the questions down to minimum. Just ask for name, email address, landline and cell telephone numbers.


I don’t think any customer will have any objections to that but if a customer objects NEVER insists.


This database will enable him to identify where the customers are coming from. There should be a code identifying customers who pay with Credit Card(s).


When the database has sufficient number of names it will also be easy to identify customers by locality where they live, by the Credit Card(s) they use (Some issuers have very stringent credentialing requirements, others are not so particular), as also by type of telephone service customer is using.


A person having a Landline, a Fixed Wireless Terminal and a Mobile connection would definitely have more discretionary income than a person who is having only one of these. Similarly a person having a Post-paid Mobile connection is perceived to be socially better in status than one using scratch cards. In the same way, a person having a valid email address may be considered more modern in outlook than a person not using email.


This database will become a powerful marketing tool if properly utilized and kept updated.

[Member of the Old Forums]

Couldn't he buy some qualified databases?

[Member of the Old Forums]

I wonder if qualified data bases would be available to him.

[Member of the Old Forums]

^


Doesn't seem much chance of that in Pakistan

[Member of the Old Forums]

The advice advice given by many in this topic is very sound, especially so given the limited options available in Pakistan

[Member of the Old Forums]

Options in Marketing are limited only by the innovative potential of the marketer.

[Member of the Old Forums]

^


This is a truth not realized by many

[Member of the Old Forums]

I have logged on after a long while and I am regretting it.


I could have implemented that pre-Eid Ramzan Welcome suggestion.



By the way, can you recommend a couple of good Lahore-based Agencies?